Life Extension
by RisingWinter
Summary: The life of a Mysidian is that of a mage but Yeul never grasped the meaning of magic. After all, she was never a l'Cie or someone chosen to house the power of the gods. But what could they use against that pesky gate that cropped up on the edge of town? Contains spoilers for the Final Fantasy IV and XIII series.
1. Chapter 1

Throughout her many existences, Yeul never made a choice of her own. Not without disrupting the timeline, causing paradoxes, and ending lives, at least, and not without changing the fate of her world and giving up what remained of her life. Not without saying goodbye one more time. She never lived on her own terms.

Yet here she stood in the practice field for young mages in this beautiful village, straining to conjure a simple fire while Leonora reminded everyone the importance of how they chose to see the flames.

Etro showed her many things, like memories of puffy trees and towering predators. Of prophecies and the work of a Seer. But she never trained to cast magic or call on the mystic energies within her and Etro didn't deign once to enlighten her on the subject.

Yeul bit her lip when yet another spark died to nothing in her fingers. The other mages of Mysidia showed no trouble at all with the exercise. Her leg hurt from standing so long and she yearned for a break.

Which Yeul was she, anyway? She liked to believe she was the last, the one from the end of the world that never was. The one she remembered best. The Yeul who had Noel and his kindly words, his strengthening presence, and that laughter so contagious she would cry tears of mirth.

She groaned and rubbed at her temples as Leonora called out changes to the group exercises. Switching from casting fires to blizzards.

Yeul tried for a moment to picture cold, to feel it drifting down her limbs and stiffening her fingers. She felt the chill of bleeding out, the chill of a final vision vanishing from her eyes, taking her life with it. She felt the chill of death, Caius' warm hands meaning nothing to her corpse.

She felt an energy rising to her, taken from the grass beneath. It came within reach and, as always, dissipated before she caught it. Instead, dark memories composed of hundreds of lives rippled to the surface of her mind and the smell of morning dew overtook her.

She dropped her hands in frustration, closed her eyes, and took a moment to feel the refreshing autumn wind. It wouldn't last much longer before winter crept in.

No one else struggled except for maybe Corlie over there that always took longer to get started. It shouldn't be hard to channel it, not with the full moon that passed beneath the horizon only two hours before.

She worked to smother her agitation when Leonora came her way. Their teacher moved slowly, of course, pausing to check each mage's work. Ice clawed up Yeul's arm, but it evaporated after a short moment. Didn't even generate icicles in the air.

She tried long enough, lost herself in memory long enough. Yeul dropped the spell and watched others in the practice session. Most of the mages managed thin, shining icicles that crisscrossed out to the sides. The air felt crisper for it and provided a stark contrast to the previous heat of the flames.

"Nothing yet?" Leonora asked. Yeul sat in the corner of the field for newer mages. The novices, most of whom were years younger than she.

This section followed a softer set of rules than the rest. After all, most of those around her had yet to reach ten years of age.

Yeul avoided her gaze. The first round of icicles melted in the sunlight and the magi prepared a second volley. The crystal-clear water droplets reflected the early morning sunlight in radiant sparkles that danced around the village.

Up until the later spring, Palom and Porom ran these exercises. The change to Leonora proved an odd adjustment – Yeul enjoyed being with her outside of class, but here in training, she proved far more demanding than Yeul expected despite her soft voice and deceptive patience.

Leonora stood beside Yeul for a long moment without comment or question. The silent proximity left an uncomfortable fluttering in her stomach.

"Nora!" Ava, a girl about eight years old, hurried to Yeul's spot, brittle icicle of her own frozen in the air between her hands. "Look what I got!"

Leonora gave her a warm smile. "That's amazing, Ava. What about melting it down without shattering it?"

Ava frowned in concentration and stiffened. Yeul saw this a hundred times before and couldn't help a flicker of anticipation.

A drop of water slid down the oddly-shaped icicle and Ava narrowed her eyes in concentration. She held it longer than most.

But it shattered. Yeul watched the pieces fly and some pricked her skin. Ava yelped and jumped back.

"That's something to practice, isn't it?" Leonora touched Ava's wrist. "Slower, next time. You've almost got it."

Yeul watched the ice drip into the unnaturally dry grass beneath her knees.

Ava flushed and left grumbling.

"Did any of that hurt you?" Leonora asked.

Yeul shook her head and Leonora went quiet for a moment. Eventually her instructor sighed and said, "There are other things you can do if you can't cast."

Of course, there were. Yeul was never a mage, not once, in all her lives wandering Pulse. Magic back then was reserved for servants of the fal'Cie, not Etro. Not to the soul that lasted forever.

"I'll do what I can for the village." She tried again to chill the air, but nothing happened. "But I want to know why it doesn't work." And why plants died around her sometimes, but she didn't feel comfortable asking about that just yet.

"Maybe you're physically challenged to it." Leonora leaned in. "I don't want to waste your time if you can't pick this up."

"But if I try hard enough-"

Leonora shook her head. "It won't be worth it. At this rate, it'll take years for you to reach even basic mastery."

Yeul chewed on her lip and let her hair fall to conceal her face. "I'm Mysidian. I'm supposed to be a mage."

"Not necessarily. We also need farmers and bakers. Who's going to do those? You know, I was always meant to be just a healer, but I found how much I liked black magic and learned it for myself."

Yeul kept quiet.

"Think about it." Leonora touched her shoulder. "Some of the best are late bloomers and you're aren't all that old yet, but I also don't want you pushing yourself for nothing."

Only, late bloomers tended to mean ten at the latest when they started casting. And the best in the village started closer to five or six.

"Thank you." Yeul didn't know what else to say. She missed having Caius or Noel to talk to – people that understood what this felt like. Noel always knew what to say, and Caius would remind her of her true goal in life. They chose what to do for her and took away this disconcerting burden of decision.

Another round of ice started as the previous one melted. Drops of water that fell moments before flitted up and recrystallized in the air.

Yeul tried to gather the moisture into one place, but no water came. Instead, a blade of grass beneath her hands, one that survived relatively well in the previous attempt, bled color out before wilting.

"Leonora!" The spells stopped and melted back into puddles in the grass, as a mage clad in white robes hurried onto the field. Emala, who rarely came to the field anymore for practice. "Something has appeared on the fields nearby! Near to the twist!"

Leonora tensed. "Was the Elder informed?"

Emala took quick gasps of air, fitting words in between. "Of course. Palom and Porom as well and they've sent for you."

"An… object?" Yeul asked.

"What's the running theory so far?" Leonora asked.

"None, ma'am. Palom's quite irate about it." Emala wrung her hands. "All I can say is that it looks like a magical artifact. There's a central orb standing in what looks like twisted metal."

Yeul's heart skipped a beat.

Leonora strode toward Emala. "Free practice!" she yelled to the students. "One hour!"

The magi around her hurried to resume casting, though the spells stuttered and broke in places. The moment the two left sight, the magi slowed their spells and murmurs filled the space. Gossip and speculation ran rampant.

Yeul stood and stared after Leonora. Twisted metal and an orb in the center.

Took hesitant steps forward. They expected her to remain and summon her magic. Yet she was no mage and if this was a time gate, she could work with that. She knew time gates.

The walk bothered her bad leg, the one people said suffered an attack when she was a baby, but she recalled the same pain in past lives and she remembered pushing past it. She remembered adjusting to her limp and not allowing it to hinder her.

After about half an hour and a stitch in her side, she crested a hill and froze when that unnaturally familiar sight came to view.

Ahead, indented into the ground, floated a shining spire of elaborate metal and frosted crystal. A gate through time and space.

She shuddered. Time and space manipulated – and it couldn't even be Etro working to rearrange this. Those memories of decline and death, clearer than before. The feeling of her heart stopping, again and again. Noel's last words before they separated in the cosmogenesis.

The ground beneath her bled color, grass turning lifeless and brittle.

Mages bustled about the ground and formed a quiet din of conversation in the afternoon light. No one noticed her and Yeul took advantage of that to find a quiet and safe place to watch from a distance.

She wasn't going to let this chance pass her by.

* * *

Palom needed something to take him away from this crappy town and all its crappy people. Up until this morning, he was ready to pack a bag and send himself on his own quest to somewhere else. He didn't know where, but he knew he would find something.

And now he stood with folded arms and tapping fingers, squinting at the hunk of metal that floated above the ground.

He felt the arcane emanating from it, but it wasn't quite black, and it wasn't quite white. It felt a little more like what wisped away from Rydia when she summoned.

… No – stupid! – that still wasn't it!

His skull throbbed with overuse from his headpiece, as even it didn't help him settle on an answer for the powers in charge. Quite the mystery that Mysidia found itself with, yet he couldn't summon back the initial excitement that he felt when it cropped up on their doorstep.

"I hate this," he grumbled under his breath. "We can't get close to it."

"The barrier warps about here, so this is the closest we'll get," one of the mages explained to Leonora, who stood closer to the thing. Palom gave himself a push and glided down from his vantage point atop the small basin to get a closer eye on the barrier line that kept any of them from touching the thing.

When they first found the artifact, they threw sand right around the barrier to map it. That being the best they could do left a sour taste in his mouth.

Leonora came to stand beside him, never taking her eyes off the gate. Porom stood on the other side of the thing, making her own observations to those around her.

"Shell or protect?" Leonora asked.

He looked her way. "Which do you think?"

She beamed at the question. "None?"

"Or both." He stuck out his free hand and Leonora tapped it with her first. "It blocks _all_ physical movement – ask Leilam what it was like to creep near it – and moderate magic doesn't faze it."

"Have you tried flying over it?"

"Barrier curves over."

"Oh."

Porom glanced their way. Palom pretended not to notice.

"Do you think there's any way to get through?" Leonora asked. "I want to get closer."

"Oh, really? I thought you would prefer to keep your distance and admire its elegant shape."

"No, I-" She looked up at him and frowned. "Oh, quit it."

He grinned at her. "We'll find a way around this. Investment still bothering you?"

"No." She touched the jewel nailed to the side of her head. "The recovery period took forever, but I should be back to a hundred percent now."

"Tested it out?"

"Tomorrow." Her eyes sparkled with excitement and he felt a flutter in his stomach at her energy. "I'll fill it up with so much magic! What should I focus on, though?"

"What do you like most?"

"I like black magic. But I need to keep up white or I'll lose my edge."

"Don't force yourself into something out of a sense of responsibility. It makes for a lot of wasted hours."

"How would you know?"

"I tried it once when I was little and stupid."

Leonora's smile tightened. "Practicing white magic isn't stupid."

"… No, it's not."

"Porom!" Leonora raised her voice and looked Porom's way. "What do you think of the artifact?"

Porom looked up, pretended to be surprised, and made her way over. "I can't identify the type, but it is definitely magical."

Palom rolled his eyes and again reached for the dried reserves in his headpiece. "You spent hours on that, genius?"

"It could be alien in origin." Porom ignored him and stopped beside them with a deep frown. "But I guess you could say our magic is alien too, since it was brought to us by the Lunarians."

"No," Palom said, "a Lunarian taught us how to control it. We had it long before he came waltzing in."

"It reminds me of the crystals," Leonora said.

… That was actually a good point. Palom squinted at the thing – _could_ it be alien tech?

"Why the crystals?" Porom asked. "What do you feel?"

Palom looked to Leonora and she hesitated. "Well, that orb in the middle looks like it could be crystal. It's certainly a lot bigger and rounder, but… that roiling mist."

The thing was so big that someone could stand in the crevice holding the orb. "A new crystal?" Palom asked. "It floats like they did, but the old crystals didn't put up barriers."

Porom turned around and strolled up the hill. Palom watched as she crested it then looked back at the object. She was far enough away that trying to carry out a conversation over the distance would be tedious.

Palom grit his teeth and followed her back up the hill, Leonora behind him.

Porom pointed to the object when they joined her, like that wasn't what they came here for. "The light moves differently inside that thing – look at the way it fluctuates. I remember the light of the crystals. They were… cleanly faceted, I think, and they rotated slowly. More serene, you know?"

"Whereas this is cloudy and chaotic," Palom said. "And there are wisps of light that dance about the outside."

"What does that mean?" Leonora asked.

"Who knows?" Palom tapped a hand against his arm. "Just that it isn't the exact same thing as the crystals, which we already knew. How about we find something useful?"

Porom gave him a look. "We should defer to Rosa and Cecil."

"You want to drink tea with aristocrats and play at ambassador?"

"If it's alien, then the others have a right to be involved in decision making, at least on an advisory level." Even when she argued, Porom kept her voice quiet – a big change from when they were younger. And a habit that brought bile to his throat.

Palom clenched his fists. "We don't even know if it _is_ alien. That's a random guess, making an assembly unnecessary."

"It's a good precaution." Leonora stepped between them. She was like this, any time she thought tensions were rising – stupid peacemaker. He found it laughable how short she looked between them.

She barely came up to his chest yet she acted like she could stem an attack between them.

Palom gave in. "If we're going to do that, we should start with Baron. It's most accessible."

"And Cecil and Rosa would be the first to identify something like this," Porom said.

"The sooner, the better." Leonora looked between them. "We'll send messengers through the Devil's Road first thing tomorrow. But who can we spare?"

"We should go," Porom said and sent him another of those looks that were supposed to mean something.

Leonora paused, mouth open. "Who's 'we?'"

Palom closed his eyes for a moment and fought to control that twitch in his hands. Opened again. "Don't you think it's important we stay here?"

Porom turned to Leonora. "You could handle our responsibilities for a day or two, couldn't you? It's been a long time since the two of us visited them. And it would be more respectful if we went, as we are to take over management from the elder when the time comes. That makes us inheritors."

"Okay, but shouldn't Leonora go too? She's practically one of us."

"Someone needs to stay."

"I don't know them as well as you do," Leonora interjected. "I think it should just be you two."

Palom dropped his jaw. He thought she'd take his side. "I don't-"

"Come on, Palom." Porom sighed. "It won't last long. Just… a day or two."

Palom scoffed and fought for a reason to say no.

Leonora said, "Besides, maybe the change of pace will help you come up with some ideas for this mystery."

Palom gripped his temples against a forming headache. " _Fine_."

"It's a plan, then." Porom looked up at the sky where the sun moved toward the horizon. Had they really been at it so long? "We should inform the Elder, then get some rest before tomorrow."

Palom bit back a groan and refrained from commenting further. It was just the Devil's Road. Not like it was that important that they get a lot of rest before taking a leisurely stroll through a busy road like _that_.

Porom and Leonora moved on and carried on some conversation of their own.

Palom lagged behind, the daunting task of the morning hanging over him. What a waste of time – he had to hope that Leonora would make progress here without him.

Not that the thought provided any reassurance.


	2. Chapter 2

There were only so many reasons it could arrive. She knew that from her old life, from the time she spent as Seeress. She knew of branching time and warped space and the frailties of Etro's power. But Etro was dead and Yeul wasn't the Seeress anymore. She was just a lost soul on a world not her own and she could only guess as to the cause of such a symptom in the timeline's health.

And that gate – it showed up too close to her to be a coincidence.

… Right?

The sun vanished beyond the horizon, leaving the gate as a glowing sight in the twilight of day. They set up lights around it, but those turned out pointless against that thing's radiance.

She itched to get closer but couldn't do it. Only essential personnel could enter the basin and Yeul, as a person without even magical capability, couldn't get within reach. Even if she tried, that small mass of mages surrounding the place would keep her from getting far.

Instead, she spent the whole day sitting on the lip of the basin it sat in. This crater was ages old, but the position of the gate looked perfectly shaped to it.

She sat, uncomfortable with how she _knew_ she would get through it.

It was too late to return to the village unless she traveled in the dark, but perhaps there was a lantern already out there that she could borrow. She certainly couldn't stay much longer, not with the sun gone, as she was already something of a spectacle, being such a pointless member of society that kept a close eye on this phenomenon. And there was no mistaking those looks people shot her.

And yet, standing out was something she was accustomed to and it made her feel… almost nostalgic.

Yeul clenched her fists, watching the light move. She couldn't shake the feeling that it prepared to open itself.

It was a superstition, in all likelihood, a desire of her own that it would emit Noel and she would no longer need to make the choice herself. But the chance of that, especially while she watched, was not exactly optimistic.

She forced herself to look away and prepare to go home before all light vanished.

Shouts sounded behind her. Yeul turned, breath caught in her throat.

The gate lit up and whirled in a mad dance. Distant and indiscernible shouts sounded, though they came off as muffled.

A figure coalesced from the orange lights, bright and glowing for just a moment.

But it wasn't Noel.

Instead, a man in a red-, black-, and cream-colored outfit stepped forward. His clothes looked dirtied and beat up, and the jacket hung open to reveal a black undershirt.

The basin went silent.

"Formations!" shouted one mage. Everyone lined up in a clean circle and the barrier that kept them back… dropped?

"Can't believe it took so long to find this place, yo." The man gave the army surrounding him a sweeping glance. "At least I get a reception."

One of the mages stepped up. Yeul couldn't place the man's name. "By order of our Sovereign Mysidia, we demand you stand down."

Did they already send for the twins?

"Nah." The man sauntered forward a few steps. "I'm here for Padra Nesu Yeel! Or however you pronounce it."

Yeul felt a flutter of alarm and retreated down the hill.

"State your intentions!"

"Oh, come on. I don't have to answer to a bunch of-"

Explosions blasted the air and light showered. Yeul couldn't see anything for the debris and fog that filled the place, not to mention the grass that now blocked her view from her position down the hill.

She peeked over the edge again. The mages pulled back as one and prepped another volley. There was no way any mortal could survive that, but Mysidia knew to be safe.

Mist cleared and the man stood as before. "Oi." He brushed at himself. "If you all would just-"

Yeul would never get far with her bad leg, but the chaos that erupted had her consider trying.

Ice blasted the area, following gusting wind and crackling lightning. Fire lit the whole field in a blinding blast.

The man leapt into action and dodged missile after fireball after lightning bolt. "Man, you _assholes_! What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!"

Mages parted and adopted shields in a fluid motion that rippled through the crowd, anticipating the man's movement. He couldn't get close to anyone, but…

Yeul leaned forward despite the grass that jabbed her nostrils. The man kept close to the center and he remained defensive.

Spells connected and flowed through a channel formed by the mages. The man couldn't get close to them even if he wanted and he showed no signs of slowing down. He moved in endless rolls and jumps and _spell rebounds_.

It didn't matter thanks to the protections and shells used by the circle, but he could send those blasts right back where they came from. Each time it hit the new pseudo-barrier separating him from the mages, a burst of magic mist and light bounced off and lit the area in soft blues and purples.

"And back!" Mages spread and stumbled but kept even breaks between each other. The gate's protection came back up and forced the circle to retreat some steps.

The intruder darted in and out of the range of the gate's protection, but it didn't matter. The split second he left, he had three mages with readied spells lock onto him.

Yeul held a breath when he ran into those mages and fire erupted where he stood.

The man jumped out of the flames with singed and smoldering clothing. Then he straightened and raised both hands into the air.

The barrage ceased.

"I surrender!" he shouted, voice booming across the field.

A long moment passed before the mage who had spoken before took the job once again. "Great, then-"

"I'm from another world, yo! So I deserve respect! As an ambassador! Which is why I'm here!"

Yeul's heart stopped.

"You've unlawfully entered our lands and our world," the spokesman declared. "You will be imprisoned and await a trial."

The visitor scoffed, and something lit up in his raised hands. A spear formed in his right.

Mysidia didn't react quickly enough. The man crouched and _jumped._

Yeul never saw a dragoon in action before and the moment took her breath away.

The man flew upward at an angle and vanished into the clouds, leaving behind a trail of smoke and red light.

"Follow him!" The mages split apart, running in the direction he jumped, but she knew that was pointless.

The man left. Gone with all the answers he had.

She released a breath and returned her gaze to the portal.

"What happened?" demanded two voices everyone in the village knew all too well. Palom and Porom ran into the basin.

Few remained from the initial army to watch the gate. Yeul gave up hiding and took slow steps into the basin.

"A traveler of worlds," she announced once in earshot. "He came and left."

A dozen heads snapped to see her.

Yeul felt better knowing she could still capture attention when she wanted. "A dragoon claiming himself to be an ambassador of worlds and commanding of respect. After our attempts at negotiations and defense, he summoned a spear and leapt away."

This close to them, she found it surprising how much taller the twins were than her. She only came up to their chests.

"Another world?" Porom whispered to herself, jaw tight. "And what were you doing here, Yeul? Don't you have studies you should be doing?"

"Perhaps." Yeul looked to the gate. "But I couldn't help myself."

Emala came to join the discussion. "She's right, though. The man was a dragoon, but none of our spells left a mark – he can't be like us."

"Like that's our biggest concern right now." Palom folded his arms, looking towards the gate. "I guess that's the last ray of light dropping on that meeting."

"We've set loose an otherworldly intruder." Porom cast Palom a horrified look. "If anything, we should approach a gathering with renewed conviction."

Palom shrugged. "You know it wouldn't have done anything about this."

"At least we would have backup." She frowned when her brother refused to make eye contact. "We could have _lost_ people tonight."

Yeul swallowed her fear at the thought of what they would say if they knew the truth of her. "He doesn't appear hostile, though."

"And he asked for someone," Emala said. "A 'Padra?'"

Yeul coughed and cleared her throat. "Or Nesu. It's hard to say what was part of the name and what was his own dialect."

Emala pursed her lip. "Fair point."

"Thank you for your help." Porom waved a dismissive hand. "Palom, we have to get back to the village."

Palom nodded but said nothing. Porom watched him for another moment, then surveyed the landscape. "Reset the watch!" she shouted. "And make sure we're not distracted again!"

"What about the intruder?" someone asked.

"We'll worry about him later." Palom let his hands drop from their folded position. "We'll heighten security throughout Mysidia, but unless he waltzes back, he's not our problem."

Porom nodded. "We will contain the situation and eliminate the threat if he tries again."

Yeul's blood ran cold. They would go so far as to kill someone that knew about the outside worlds.

Palom and Porom turned away and started back. Emala spoke with the mages.

They wanted to kill him. But they couldn't do that if Yeul got to him first because no one would follow them off-world.

Yeul took her first steps back home.

She just had to find him.

* * *

This whole thing was stupid.

Palom sucked in a breath of fresh air the moment they exited the Devil's Road on the far side. He didn't really mind spending hours traversing places like that, but the amount of traffic that the Road saw had gone drastically up in the past few years. They only encountered the occasional monster now and there was talk of establishing a dedicated guard to fix that.

Too bad the tunnels weren't better ventilated.

A guard moved to check for identification but stopped upon sighting them. Palom felt a smug satisfaction at that.

"It's nice to be back here, isn't it?" Porom asked before they walked out through the door with a bow from the guard. Palom rolled his eyes. It was a change of pace to visit Baron, but it wasn't all that different from Mysidia. A whole lot of people whom Palom had little to no idea how to interact with in any meaningful matter. A whole lot of people who had nothing to contribute.

Porom sighed. Well, Palom was pretty sure she did. It was quiet enough that he almost didn't catch it. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "It'll be nice to see Cecil and Rosa at least, right?"

She was still prompting for conversation then. "Yeah, because we conducted this trip to catch up with old friends."

He still didn't want to stay long. There was too much to do, especially with that artifact waiting for them.

He felt a swell of excitement thinking about it. It had to be a transportation device if it was yielding visitors from other planets and if there was any chance they could reverse-engineer it, then they could create jump points across the planet and save all sorts of time. Or they could even _see_ other planets.

"What are you so happy about?" Porom leaned forward.

Palom smothered his anticipation and pressed his mouth into a fine line. "Working out the situation back home."

Porom frowned. "It could be a bad omen."

"I'm sure there's a way to manipulate it." No one liked otherworldly objects showing up on their doorstep, but if that had to happen, it was lucky it was right outside Mysidia.

"I don't like it," Porom whispered. "I mean, that barrier around it, what if it _is_ charging up for something and we have no way of detecting it? It could be some type of bomb for all we know."

Did she have to be so discouraging? "There's no reason to think it's anything but a warp point. And we should focus on finding a way to use it ourselves." He couldn't let go of that lingering sense of mystic energy the thing left, like a cool wind after summer. "It uses magic and if that doesn't make it fit for us, then I don't know what does."

"If that's not worse." After being so desperate for a conversation, Porom went quiet. That was fine with him.

Attendants greeted them at the castle gates and hurried to show them into the throne room before running off.

Through it all, neither of the two broke stride thanks to everyone making way.

The throne room looked as majestic as ever. Palom was positive that at least half of the staff was appointed just for polishing the stone inside. How else would they keep it so clean?

Outside of some amateurish water spells, of course.

They finally stopped before the throne, where Cecil sat dressed in the drapes of a king and accompanied by a stiff assistant. "Palom, Porom."

Porom gave what had to be the proper bow for the occasion, and Palom reluctantly followed suit.

Cecil stood and gestured for them to stand. "How have you been? I received the foreword that you were coming, but no one would tell me why."

Palom glanced at Porom, who returned it with an expectant look. He grit his teeth, cheeks burning, and snapped his attention back to Cecil before speaking. "There's this thing that's shown up right outside Mysidia proper," Palom said, "It's like a spire of twisted metal-"

"We're concerned about its origins." Porom cut him off. "We've detected traces of magic emanating from it, and we're worried that it's alien in nature. We decided that, while it is on Mysidia's doorstep, it deserves enough attention for an offer of collaboration with our allies. We'll maintain power over any drastic decisions, but it would do our peoples good to work together against a potential threat like this."

Cecil gave them a long stare. Then relaxed and looked to the servant beside him. "Fern, would you kindly inform the queen that I request her presence?"

They nodded and left. Cecil turned back to them. "Alien?" he repeated. "You think it's Lunarian?"

Palom folded his arms and let Porom talk. Sucked in a breath from his stabilizer.

"This time yesterday, we had minimal evidence. Then in the evening, a man claiming to be from another world appeared in a burst of light. I would hesitate to call it Lunarian, but we're certain it doesn't originate from our planet."

"I hoped you wouldn't say such." Cecil stroked his chin. Before he could speak further, the doors opened and Rosa entered with an urgency to her stride.

"I don't see why I wasn't notified previously." Rosa offered a suffering smile and took Porom's hand. "How are you?"

"Well," Porom said. "Thanks for asking."

Palom tapped a foot against the ground – he could be studying the work of an unknown race right now.

Cecil motioned for Rosa to join him and she took her place on her own throne. "They've made their journey due to an issue in Mysidia, one quite possibly otherworldly."

Rosa's smile vanished. "Lunarian?"

"If it is, it's not like last time," Palom said. "Or the time before that."

"They are requesting a gathering in Mysidia." Cecil clasped his hands behind his back. "I wonder if you would go, as Baron's resident expert in magic."

Rosa's lips twitched in a smile. Something about the sight soothed Palom's agitation and he couldn't summon any anger at her manipulation. "I'd be happy to. Who else is involved?"

Palom shared another glance with Porom. She took the invitation to respond, "No one else, yet. We've thought that Rydia would be a prudent choice."

"She would be." Rosa glanced at Cecil. "This should be handled under Mysidia's authority, but a worldwide conference would prove beneficial."

"What should anyone else have to say?" Palom muttered. Porom nudged him in the shoulder.

"The Red Wings are available to spread the word," Cecil offered.

"You want to send a military force for something like that?" Palom asked.

Porom sucked in a breath and forced a smile. "That would certainly save us a lot of time. We'll thank you for your help, and draw up official requests immediately, if you'd be willing to lend us your resources."

Cecil and Rosa glanced between the two. Palom didn't like relying on Baron, but at least they were decent people.

"Absolutely." Cecil returned to his throne. "Rosa will take you to a room you can use until you leave again."

Rosa stood and gestured. "Come with me, if you would."

Palom followed the rest out of the throne room. Looked at Porom, but she didn't notice. Rosa would side with her given half a chance and anything he said would be thrown out of the question.

Not that what he wanted ever mattered in the first place.


	3. Chapter 3

Yeul wandered the woods beyond the dragon and tried to forget the questions she faced back home. Most didn't bother her, but those that got a chance to see the gate swarmed with questions when Yeul would much rather have her space and think of how to find that dragoon or maybe another gate. Or better yet, the artefact for _this_ gate.

And then in the morning gossip, she heard of an odd presence in this forest, spotted a short walk from Mount Ordeals. Animals ran and made odd noises, they said, agitated by an unnatural power.

Yet after searching for ages, she couldn't find anything that warranted such trepidation from the village. Some creatures scurried past her, but nothing here seemed agitated, much less threatened by an unknown presence.

She sighed and sat on a rock that wasn't covered in dirt and moss. Maybe she could find someone to lead her to it, or maybe it had been taken. Maybe it was a dragon's egg after all.

Except a dragon would never lay an egg in a forest and no fool would take one from a nest.

A twig cracked nearby.

Yeul bolted to her feet and looked about. Heart twisted when she laid eyes on the man from the gate. He approached her with a saunter.

She winced at her bad leg. There was no way she could escape a dragoon.

"Yo!" He stuck a hand in the air, gripping something within. "Lookin' for this?" His hand opened to reveal a glowing artefact, light faceting outwards in serene rays.

"Who are you?" Yeul asked, gaze locked on the artefact. "I don't recognize you from Pulse."

"Name's Nine." He stopped in front of her and offered the artefact. "I'm not from your old planet."

He just… held it out to her. "Do you know where the gate goes?" She didn't take the artefact.

"It goes out." He shrugged. "Outta this world. We can ride it back to Valhalla. I don't know, man, I don't understand any of that mechanical junk."

"You know about Valhalla?"

"Yeah, that's where everyone's waiting." He shoved the artefact at her. "Come on, let's go. I don't have all day, yo."

The artefact emitted a sheening sound that thrummed in her ears when she accepted it. The familiar vibrations its unnatural presence brought back so many lost memories. This could take her to so many places – it could take her to Valhalla.

Not that it would be easy to get through the gate now. She looked meaningfully at Nine, but he didn't seem to notice.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

He groaned. "Yo, it's not that hard to get. There's this big bad dude out there that needs to be taught a lesson and you're supposed to help us do that."

Yeul slipped the artefact into her pouch. Took a half-step back and her leg seized up, causing her to stumble. Grabbed a tree to steady herself.

He looked at her, disbelief in his eyes. "You're supposed to be the Goddess of Death, yo. You ain't s'posed to have a _bad leg_."

"No." The world slowed around her, chirping of birds vanishing. "No, I'm not like the other Yeuls." That wasn't her duty anymore, because she got to be with Noel.

"Wonderful." He groaned. "Why am I the one who's gotta be down here dronin' on about all this stupid stuff with some cripple?" He glanced to the sky with a grimace. "Hey, couldn't you have sent Cinque instead? She's not doin' anything anyway, yo."

Who was he talking to? "I would like to find Noel."

"Who – oh." He sniffed. "Don't worry, if Eight can manage to do his job – oh, Cater. If Cater can manage to do her job, then he'll come back to Valhalla soon, yo."

She couldn't be sure he was telling the truth, though the chance itself was… hard to ignore. "I need some time." She glanced down at her bag, the light of the artefact barely concealed within. "I can't leave yet."

"Wait, what? Really?" Disbelief mixed with anger shown on his face. "I don't exactly got all week, you know!"

Memories resurfaced of people who wanted nothing to do with her or her past incarnations, who threatened her, told her to leave. In the end, she always did. She left. "That is no problem of mine."

He growled and leaned forward. Beneath his messy hair, Yeul made out a long, gnarly scar across his face. "This can't wait, yo. There's a lot of stuff out there that needs something to protect it."

"Then go without me."

"I gave you that damn gem!" Nine jabbed a finger at her. "What else am I supposed to do?!"

Yeul shook her head. "Eventually the crowd around the gate should disperse. We'll go through then."

"Who cares about the crowd! I could just cut my way through!"

Yeul looked up at him with her sternest expression. "I don't want you killing anyone."

"Not kill-?" Nine scoffed and turned away. "That's my sole job, yo! Why do I gotta work for such a picky _girl_?"

Yeul looked to the artefact in her bag. Valhalla within her reach and all that stood between them was the strongest mages of Mysidia.

"Geez! I shoulda just stuck with those jerks on Spira!"

"We can't be reckless about this." Yeul felt at her pouch. "I'll take my time."

"Okay, _fine!_ " he yelled. Yeul winced at the sound, heart pounding. "We don't need useless idiots like you! We've _never_ needed anyone else, have we? Especially not someone like _you._ We can do it by ourselves, just like every other stint. This is a stupid waste of time." He turned on his heel and walked off into the woods.

A moment later her entire body shook, though she didn't feel cold. Yeul wrapped her arms around herself, leg aching, and took unsteady steps through the forest. Nine acted like a child, but there was something about the air to him that reminded her of Caius.

And the thought of Caius left a stinging sense of nostalgia in her heart, a longing for his strengthening presence and his soothing voice. For the reason and calm he presented when the world burned around them.

But she couldn't just run through the guard posted at the gate. Yeul closed her eyes and thought of Pulse. She would take her time and get there alive, even if it took years.

* * *

Palom flipped another page of the book he had brought on the trip. _Red Emergence: The Balance of the Destructive and the Restorative_ was the latest book that so far provided zero answers. It was just another confusing mess that couldn't properly explain the differences of white and black. Why was there not _one_ competent writer out there? How did so many people decide that these books were worth anything?

Palom would trade a shard to find out what books Tellah used, if any. Why didn't Tellah write a book? If he did, it would've been the definitive, Palom was sure.

"Excuse me," came a feminine voice. Palom looked up to find the voice belonged to a young woman with short blonde hair streaked with purple. She wore a battered dress and the only part that still looked clean was a checkered piece near the neck.

"Spit it out," he said.

"You're from Mysidia, right?" She took a seat beside him on the bench. It was a long enough bench that he still had elbow space, but he was sure there were other places she could have gone.

"Yeah, so?"

"I heard about what happened." Given her elegant tone and how she carried herself, Palom couldn't help narrowing his eyes at her odd behavior. "In Mysidia. The gate?"

"What about it?"

"Isn't it dangerous?"

He grimaced and looked at the stone beneath them. His hands gripped the edge of the bench and the wood bit into his palms. "Maybe."

"Well, at least it showed up near a town that could destroy it if needed."

"… What are you saying?"

"It would take a lot of work, though." She folded her arms with a frown and crossed her legs. "You'd have to get rid of that blockade first."

"Where are you getting all this?"

A moment before she responded. "Isn't there something that makes it so you can't touch the object?"

"… One way or another, Mysidia will handle it."

"You think you're the only ones equipped to handle it?"

"I _know_ we're the best ones to handle it, given we've already saved the world twice."

She looked at him, eyes sunken. And… maybe… sad? "You couldn't know, of course. You aren't that bright."

She poked him in the forehead and he slapped her hand away.

She shoved him into the bench and forced his hand into the wood. A sharp pain shot through his fingers.

Palom grunted, surprised by her strength, and summoned fire before turning to face her again. "Wanna try that again? I'll blast you sky-high."

She pulled away and he straightened.

"I'd hate to make you do that." The lady leaned in again and he smelled blood on her. "You need to conserve your strength, after all."

The spell flickered in his hands. "How do you know about that?"

"How do _you_?" She stood and moved a hand to touch him, but he slapped her away again and took to the air. "Take care of yourself. I'd hate for all that magic to waste away."

Palom grit his teeth and wind swirled about him – he stayed a foot above the ground. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Not yet. In any case, I have someone to meet. I thank you for your time and I pray that you make the right choice."

Palom watched her take off down the streets and disappear past the tailor's shop. He let wind billow about him a bit longer and bleed out his adrenaline before he touched back down.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself before taking the book and heading off to meet with the Red Wings, hand hurting.

It only took a few minutes to get out to the Red Wings, where Porom waited on the ground. She waved at his approach, a smile lighting up her face.

"You ready to go?" Porom asked when he paused beside her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Her mouth opened and closed without a response before she looked away.

"We're ready to fly!" Rosa called from the flagship.

Porom cast him another unreadable look before leaving to join Rosa. Palom followed a ways behind and rubbed at his itching hand.

Stepping on the ship brought back a rush of nostalgia. Palom looked to the planks that made up the floor and curved walls of the ship interior that creaked in the wind. It was smaller than he would like – the low ceilings and limited windows brought some unpleasant memories to mind and he scowled at the way everyone else clustered in the center of the room.

He took to the side and pulled his book out again. Time to get away from these people and get some work done for once.

Barely made it two lines in before Rosa broke through his concentration with a, "May I join you?"

Palom shut the book and forced himself to look up. "Sure."

She sat beside him and took his injured hand into hers. "What happened here?"

"It-" He swallowed his surprise and tried to yank it back. She held on. "Nothing. Why do _you_ care?"

Rosa lifted an eyebrow and picked at the splinters. Pulled a needle from her pouch and got to digging them out. "You know why."

Palom grit his teeth his against the pain and let her go on.

She summoned a cure in the hand that held his. "I know Porom has you on edge again."

"… Again?"

"As always, I suppose." Rosa took on a thoughtful expression. "I know you two struggle, but-"

Palom recoiled and Rosa let him go. He opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of what to say.

"You know," Rosa said, "we have room if you would like to come and stay with us for a change."

"… I can't leave Mysidia," he lied.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not supposed to."

Rosa hummed. "It wouldn't be for long. Just take some time to clear your head, like Ceodore says. Maybe you could train him for a time and I'll speak with the Elder to arrange it."

"That's-… I don't need to leave."

"Maybe not, but we'd love to have you all the same. Cecil gets so lonely, he starts talking to himself even though he'll never admit it. Having Kain with us helps, but he could use more circulation."

"Cecil doesn't see me as a peer."

"That's where you're wrong." Rosa gave him a soft smile and the corners of her eyes crinkled in that old-person way despite her otherwise-youthful appearance. "And believe me, I wish I could say that more often. I won't force you, just… think about it, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Palom," Porom called, "did you visit the item shop before leaving? I need ethers."

"I didn't," he said. "Because it's not my job to keep you stocked."

"I didn't say it was! I was just asking!"

"Your tone said it!"

"My-! What's the point of talking to you if you're just gonna twist everything I say?"

"I don't know, why do you talk to me _ever_?"

Rosa cleared her throat.

"Stupid," Porom hissed.

Palom grit his teeth, got to his feet, and left without another word because he knew it was a losing battle. Porom never listened to him.

He took the stairs two at a time and made his way to the deck, where the wind billowed and whipped at his hair. Clouds blanketed the horizon and the sun dipped just below them to leave a streak of light in the bloodied sky that blinded him when he glimpsed that way. The cool air stung his face and brought tears to his eyes.

He blinked those out of the way and moved to the railing. Summoned heat to his core that warmed his skin.

Looked out across the land below him that appeared like a patchwork blanket. The height left him reeling, but he steeled himself. He didn't get to where he was by backing down. Especially not to his sister.

He stared down that fall like it was the artifact back home. He didn't let stupid complications get in the way.

That distance. That fall. The ground, so very far below him.

He hesitated. What could he do with that? How was he supposed to use a fall like this?

Stupid. He thought like this dumb ship mocked him with its altitude. But he couldn't turn away.

Channeled more magic, encased his injured hand in ice to cull the itch.

No one came to talk to him for once. Just as well. He needed some peace and quiet and it wasn't like Leonora was even here to provide intelligent conversation.

He turned, sunk against the railing, and let the wind lull him to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Yeul knew most gates to have a nascent phase, where they appeared but were only partially there before it was decided whether it was truly needed. This one skipped that.

Why did it skip that?

She stood near to where she was the first night. With artefact in hand, she watched the gate. Serah and Noel never had to get close before the gates unlocked for them, so she shouldn't need to, either.

She reached her hand toward the gate and a light spread out from her clenched fist. A matching light expanded in that crystal heart.

… Oops.

"Write that down!" Leonora yelled over the crowds. Yeul took a half-step backwards and shoved the artefact back into her bag. "Watch it!"

Some of the mages around her ran for supplies, others stood stock still and simply took in as much as they could, memorizing as their training taught them to do.

The light faded out, which was met by loud groans from everyone around her. "First bit of excitement since the first night and it's gone, just like that!" someone said.

"Catalogue it and we'll take it to the village." Leonora strode through the ranks, lacy dress drifting over the grass. She moved toward Yeul and made eye contact.

Heart skipped a beat – this was a bad idea. She should have come when none of the trio were there.

"So, what are you doing here?" Leonora asked as she approached Yeul. Her voice was strained, and the lack of sleep was probably catching up to her. "You can't keep sneaking away from your studies."

She thought fast. "I saw the intruder in the forest over by Mount Ordeals."

Leonora gasped. "Really? How long ago? Why didn't you come find me?"

"It's been a few hours." She feigned sheepishness with pursed lips. "I didn't get a close look, but-"

"Jeren! Peza!" Leonora shouted. Two mages perked up and hurried their way. "I want the two of you to go down to Forest Ordeals and look around for our guest."

Yeul paused. They probably wouldn't find him, but what he said about killing mages left a pit in her stomach.

The two nodded and left.

Yeul reminded herself that these were mages of Mysidia. They could handle themselves.

She changed the topic. "Have you found anything new about the –… this?"

Leonora sighed. "Not much. The barrier's our first focus of study, and from there we'll move to the crystal at the center."

Would the gate vanish if Yeul went through it? Maybe she would simplify all this when she left. "Is it a threat to Mysidia?"

"Not just Mysidia." Leonora took a slow stroll toward the side of the gate. Yeul followed. "But I wouldn't worry too greatly. We'll figure something out soon. If anyone can handle this, we can." Leonora set her shoulders with confidence, clasping her hands behind her back, and coming to a stop while staring up at the gate. "It's quite possible that this magical object was drawn to the font of magical power on this planet."

"There is no other registered instance of an object like this in our history, is there?" Yeul asked. The timing was questionable. The location was concerning. Not only did it come near her, but it came close to her fifteenth birthday. Within the range of her likely death.

"Not one." Leonora cast her a frown. "Why are you so interested in this?"

Yeul paused. She was only fifteen, though she felt much older. Leonora, however, was, what, twenty-four? Almost a decade older and wouldn't see Yeul as an adult.

"It is difficult to focus when such a thing exists."

"Leonora!" Yeul looked up, to the west, as a messenger hurried over the hill, breathing hard and waving a missive. "They're coming back today, with the Red Wings!"

"Oh, good. How soon?"

The Red Wings. Yeul's stomach twisted. She understood that they weren't what they used to be, years even before she was born, but she heard the stories.

"It's a matter of hours!" The messenger, Poppy, stopped in front of Leonora with an excited grin. "They bring with them Queen Rosa of Baron, along with King Edge of Eblan and Rydia of Mist."

Leonora let out a breath. "I suppose that explains the delay."

Yeul blinked. She remembered communicating with tribal leaders and town mayors, even presidents at times during her days. She never thought she'd miss those times, when everyone quieted to hear her, and no one disregarded her words as that of a child.

"Return to Mysidia and begin preparations for guest quarters and the meeting room. Ensure the finest accommodations for our visitors." Leonora took up a swift stride towards Mysidia herself, Poppy following along with similar haste.

The instructional chatter faded quickly as they kept walking, Leonora only stopping once to inform the army of mages watching the gate that they were to continue doing so.

Yeul was just a defective girl in a village of magi.

Not… not like she was with Noel. And Caius.

And for the first time in months, she lost herself in memory.

The sky turned green and clouded, the ground to sand, and the trees to withered stumps. She smelled the sulfur that came with rot and algae and she felt the bitter wind of a deserted land. No one had lived here in so long that most of the ruins filtered away with the sand.

"It won't do much good to stay here," Noel said with a kick at the ground. "We should go find a gate or something."

Serah fidgeted. "But where would we start? Cocoon must have fallen by now."

"Doesn't mean we're alone." Noel sheathed his sword and pointed west. "I have an idea where some hunters' refugees might be. We'll start there."

Yeul looked around at the decimated landscape before following along behind them. Mog flitted about Serah, pompom pulsing with worry.

"Stay close." Noel looked her way. "Monsters will keep their nose open for lone prey."

Yeul hurried closer despite the discomfort in her leg. Noel reached an arm out and she took to his side.

"We'll keep each other safe," Serah said and shook Mog's hand. "Won't we?"

"You bet, kupo!"

"The Red Wings! The Red Wings, they've come!"

And just like that, the vision faded and Yeul was left to herself. Her shoulder felt cold where Noel took her, and she blinked back tears at the sight of the gathered mages.

Most didn't pay her pause any heed, though a couple gave her concerned looks.

She remembered to breathe.

A drop of rain hit her skin and thunder rolled in the distance. The sky was dark and angry, but on the horizon, she sighted the red-flagged ships that heralded the twins' return.

Yeul ducked her head and made for home. She needed time to think.

* * *

He couldn't believe the group that gathered in their little meeting room in Mysidia. Couldn't believe that this gift of an artifact that belonged to them as mages now waited for inspection by the common rabble.

Palom leaned back in his wooden chair and shivered with the chill that plagued him since the airship. The Red Wings took Rosa and the twins back from Baron, then split to deliver the other invitations. Because apparently this was a party now, open to anyone who wanted to get a look.

At least, that was the only reason Palom could come up with as to why Edge came. Rydia made sense. Palom found himself interested in hearing her thoughts on the situation, but Edge? He wasn't even a mage.

He strengthened the heat in his hands and spread it throughout his system. Rosa gave him a pointed look, but Palom ignored her. His hand still throbbed, but without the splinters, it would heal just fine.

"Hey," Palom said when Edge took a seat between him and Rydia. Palom still couldn't believe that this guy was one of the few born into royalty, but he checked his impulse to remark on it. "Is Ninjutsu magic?" Palom asked.

"Not quite," Edge said. "It's an ancient art form that we learned long before Mysidia became what it is today and it's more rooted in physical discipline than the arcane."

"Lay off the morning exercises with Yang, please."

"You know I don't-… Never mind. Mana is a resource that extends to more than just Mysidian magic." Edge leaned against the back of the chair. "Ninjutsu doesn't leave behind the same trace that your magics do. It's a lot cleaner."

"Uh huh." Palom folded his arms about himself to preserve his heat and mana. A nap in a warm bed sounded great right now, but a certain _someone_ insisted on gathering world leaders and talking around a cold table. "But it uses mana?"

"In its own way. What's this about?"

"Nothing of your concern."

Edge shook his head but didn't press the matter.

Everyone took their seats, having returned from examining the portal. Leonora left to her shift, so it was just the five of them in here. Palom, Porom, Rosa, Rydia, and… Edge.

"Rydia, what did you pick up?" Palom asked. Porom shot him a glance and he screwed his eyes on their Summoner. Whatever she was trying to get across he was pretty sure he didn't deserve it.

Rydia frowned and clasped her hands together. "It is… different. It feels almost like the Feymarch, but…" She released a nervous chuckle. "I don't know, dusty?"

"A connection to summoning magic would make sense," Palom said. "You know, given our recent visitor."

"Do you think your King and your Queen would be willing to join the dialogue on this?" Rosa asked of Rydia, who shook her head.

"I think that if it affected them they would come on their own and I would prefer not to bother them unnecessarily."

"Why not?" Palom asked.

Porom choked.

Rydia hesitated before speaking. "It's… well, we gain the capacity to summon a specific Eidolon through showing them an extreme of our power. So, it's kind of a ritual? There's a right way to do all of this, and we only summon the power of an Eidolon in very specific circumstances."

"This isn't one of them?" Palom asked.

"Hey." Porom looked at him, eyes wide, mouth twisted down. He didn't reward her with a reaction.

"It doesn't work like that." Rydia set her tone. "It's a life or death thing, when a physical threat is clear and present. If we summoned for any less, than we would be showing them weakness and that… means something in our culture."

Porom put her head in her hands.

"So, we just have to wait and hope we get lucky?" Edge huffed. "That's a wonderful strategy. Meanwhile, I suppose I'll go research methods for beating off alien invaders."

"No, of course we won't just wait," Porom said. "There's precautionary actions we can take instead."

"The main issue right now is the barrier around it," Rosa said. "No one can speak of the artifact when we can't get close."

"And the only thing that's gotten through is dust?" Edge asked. "Wind?"

Palom blinked and forgot the cold for a moment. Couldn't help a quirk at the edge of his mouth.

"Care to enlighten the rest of us?" Rosa asked.

"It's obvious," Palom said. "We get rid of the barrier."

"Oh, I guess we're talking about beating it into submission, right?" Edge rolled his eyes. "Why haven't you done that already?"

"Because it's dangerous," Porom hissed, like she'd been anticipating the question. "There could be traps to cause injury or worse."

"We can't just sit back and hope for the best." Palom finally looked her in the eyes. She met his gaze without a hint of discomfort. "After all, when has that ever worked for us?"

Porom said, "We _can't_ be hasty."

"How would we go about this?" Rosa asked. Something about her unaffected posture helped him relax.

"A barrage from Mysidia's army should collapse it." Porom pursed her lips. "Magical shields can only take so much and we can summon plenty of power if we plan it right."

"And once it's gone, we get to the artifact," Palom said. "If need be, we'll destroy it too."

"We'll almost certainly have to destroy it." Rosa cast Palom a cool look. "Don't forget it."

He didn't shrink back. "But what if it could be _used_?"

Edge hummed. "Good point."

"I agree." Rydia raised a hand to her chin. "I would prefer to wait on word from the Feymarch, but I think we should focus on the barrier for now."

Edge nodded as she spoke. Rosa and Porom didn't seem quite so sure, but they said nothing in opposition.

Moments passed in silence, then Rydia spoke up again. "If we can't find a way to use it quickly, we'll destroy it. If others have used it, there's only so much time we can risk it being here, right?"

"But how do we know they can't just place another?" Palom asked. "This thing showed up out of nowhere. It could happen again and we'll have to start over."

"Perhaps they can, but this will make a statement." Rosa stood. There was a certain confidence to the motion that Palom found reminiscent of when the Elder would take a room's attention. "If they come again, then they come knowingly against our wishes."

Palom dropped the wind. "What if they put their replacement somewhere less obvious?"

"That's true." Edge pointed to Palom while looking at Rosa. "Think the Red Wings might be able to do a fly by across the world, make sure there aren't any more?"

Rosa furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Edge. "The world isn't that small and our resources are limited."

"No, but we should at least try, right?"

Rosa sighed. "I will see what I can do."

Edge frowned. "No one else has gotten close to catching up with them."

"They're still getting old, Edge." Rydia tapped his shoulder with a small smile.

Edge cleared his throat. "What do your mages think about the situation?"

Porom's brow furrowed. "Alert and ready to handle any development in the course of this investigation."

"Including the artifact's obliteration." Rydia turned to Palom.

Palom jumped to his feet. "Who? Who said that?!"

Rydia shook her head. "I couldn't say. Not familiar with names or faces, after all."

"I caught the same chatter," Edge said. "Your people are nervous."

Palom forced himself to breathe – they couldn't _seriously_ think that would be necessary! "We'll find a way to use it. I said we _could_ , but-"

Rosa put a hand on the table. "… We should be ready for alternatives."

Palom opened his mouth to protest, but Rosa made a silencing gesture.

"It's getting late, and the weather worsens." Rosa turned toward the door. "We'll begin preparations tomorrow for destroying the barrier."

"I'll nod to that." Edge stood to join her and Rydia took to his side.

The three visitors left with quiet discussion. Porom waited until they were gone to rest a hand on Palom's arm.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He stiffened. "What?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised." She snatched her hand back and looked away. "I just… I'm not trying to undermine you. I'm scared, is all."

"About what?" The cold returned and he fought a shiver. Rubbed at his arm. "The artifact?"

She still avoided eye contact. "Aren't you? We barely made it through the last two invasions. I don't want to try my luck with a third."

Palom flared his heat. "That's why we're acting now. Geez, don't be such a wimp."

She finally looked his way, sunken eyes narrowed. "This is serious."

"I know." He made for the door. "Are we done?"

"… Are we?"

He hesitated. This had to be a trap. "We'll be careful. After the best we can do, there's not much else to think about, right?"

She was quiet and he remembered the deadening feeling in his limbs that came with the reminder of their petrification more than a decade before. Remembered the fear that came with it, but the assurance that Cecil and the others would pick up after them.

"Just… be careful, okay?" Her voice was tight. "You never take care of yourself like you should and-"

"And is that any of your business?" He rounded on her. "Since when did you give a damn how I live my life?"

Porom's expression hardened. "Since you made it clear that _you_ didn't. I can feel your fever even from here!"

"I'm _fine_."

"I-" Porom swallowed hard- " _I'm_ not."

"… And you won't use white magic because…?"

"Shiva's breath, Palom!" She reached a hand toward him and he flinched away. She held back and cursed again. "You're so _clueless_! Not everything can be solved with magic! Not that you would think that, getting an infused gem nailed into your skull when simple _earrings_ would do the trick!"

He recoiled. "You don't even cast black magic – what would you know about jewel enhancements?"

"I know the health hazards that they are! It doesn't just discolor your hair, after all."

"Yeah, because the one in a hundred chance of injury is better than hurting yourself with potential death from overuse. You know Tellah might still be here if he had one?"

"Or you could just do infusions like me!"

"How is that any different? Your hair's entirely pink, now!"

"At least I don't discolor my eyes and skin in addition to everything else."

"Because cosmetic changes are such a deal."

"They are if they're a symptom of something worse."

"What are you trying to say?" Palom stepped forward, skin heating with black energy. "That I'm unstable? Broken? We already knew that."

"Did we?"

Palom swore. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Lie. After all these years and saying one thing, you switch up and pretend things are different just so you can get under my skin."

"That's pretty presumptuous of you, isn't it?" A hint of white in her palms. "Can't I say one thing to you without it being twisted back at me?"

Palom bit back a burst of fire that swirled about his person and lit the room in an orange glow. "Stop!"

Porom strode forward and the blooming fire faded to nervous wind. "Stop _caring_? You're my twin brother! I try to help and all you do is throw it in my face! Why won't you let me _fix_ you?"

"Because I don't need to be FIXED!" Fire and wind combined into a swirling inferno that he fought to keep off the wood. The combined magic forced his feet off the ground and he clenched his fists hard enough to hurt. "If you wanted to spiff me up, you should've done so while I still believed you!"

Porom barked out a short laugh. "You? Believed in _me_? Now who's changing their story?"

"Shut UP!"

Porom sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. Moved her mouth in a silent count to five before she opened again. The white vanished.

"Shut up," he repeated before he forced the fire and wind back inside himself. The light faded and heat died, leaving behind a cold, dead weight in his chest. Feet touched the ground again. "Don't ever talk like you can smooth over my black with your white like it's a bad thing."

"It's not-! … Okay. My _original point_ was that overworking yourself is only going to make things worse. You were fine before – what happened?"

"Yeah. I'll pretend that's what you're worried about."

He left and slammed the door behind him. Pain poured outside and had him drenched within moments of stepping out. Porom didn't follow.

By the time he reached his room, his clothes dripped all over the floor and made pools where he stood. When he reached to squeeze water from his hair, one sleeve sagged to reveal a purplish splotch that spread near his wrist.

He upped his heat again and steamed most of the water off. It burned his skin, but he still felt chilled to the bone, so he just took to his bed and curled up in his blanket until the shivers stopped.

With their conversation in mind, he found himself too distracted to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Yeul paced about her room, thoughts racing. After the storm last night, water dripped against the window and caused the grass to glimmer in the morning light.

They planned to _destroy_ the barrier.

The barrier that protected her and everyone else. That kept the wrong people from crossing to the wrong time, assuming the gates were even summoned as they were supposed to.

What if another being found the power to manipulate time and space?

The thought recalled a memory that overtook her.

Creatures lay dead around her, broken and dusty. Stone walls rose to her sides and checkered mist warped the air.

Yeul grunted and dragged herself out of the vision. She saw enough.

Took steadying breaths and focused on the present.

They would remove the barrier protecting them and their world from the gate. She knew the monsters that waited in the realms between time and she knew what faced reckless travelers. But to undo the one thing that protected this place from there – was it even possible?

Nine.

Yeul left her home.

Nine would help.

The moment she closed the door, a woman in an orange dress greeted her. "They'll destroy the gate itself?" the woman asked.

Yeul narrowed her eyes and took a step back. "You don't belong here."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Lenna." The woman put a hand forward and flashed a bright grin. She held herself with regal poise. "I'm traveling to fix what's been broken, like that gate near the village. But your people have plans for it all ready, don't you?"

Clouds passed under the sun and Yeul lost the early autumn warmth. Pulled away from the woman. "You're not one of us."

"That won't be enough, but it is the start that this world needs." Lenna paused and looked about them with wondering eyes. "This world may yet not suffer so needlessly as the others. What a relief."

Yeul eyed her up and down. "You're ignoring every word I say."

"I don't ignore." Lenna turned about in a small circle with a hungry look toward the rest of the village. "I just don't like to waste breath on pointless trivia."

Heart hammered in her throat and Yeul pressed herself against the door. "To which power do you claim loyalty?"

"The one and only." Lenna turned back to face her, eyes bright. "The Eternal Light and the Dispeller of Darkness, Bhunivelze."

Yeul forced herself to swallow. They failed, then. "To what purpose do you come here?"

"Trivia." Lenna turned away again, breathless. "This gate can never belong. It serves only chaotic purpose, built to destroy the order of a world and we must hasten its end. You know as well as we that it must be destroyed. They are a blight. An ill omen. Weapons against order and light."

"We hate what does not belong." Yeul managed a step forward. "The gate will face the mages' wrath soon."

"Then this world is prepared. It should survive. They will discover that they have no choice but to be rid of it quickly. Our work is made easier."

"It may be nothing but an omen of blood and ashes. But to destroy it will bring worse to this world."

"But that's just it – it's nothing _but_ an omen of death and crystal dust." Lenna clasped her hands and pursed her lips. "A terrible thing that will take everything this world could be. Best to wage war with the unseen terrors than to face the onslaught of broken time."

"What happened to you?"

"Trivia." She tilted her head just an inch. "I think you have a more interesting story to tell."

Yeul took another step forward, but Lenna didn't budge. "You know my story, already."

"Not as well as I should like." Lenna looked down at her, eyes flickering with the faintest mist. "There are so many Yeuls lost to time that I couldn't keep them straight when I gained this second life. Which are you?"

"This isn't life." Yeul glared back, frowning. "He'll destroy you."

"There is no correct way to be used, don't you see?" Lenna looked at her, eyes sparkling. "We do what we must."

Yeul could swear she smelled an arcane mist about the woman, like a humid breeze after a storm. "You were a hero, once. You served gods greater than the twisted nothing that has become of Bhunivelze."

Lenna struck her on the cheek.

That stung, but Yeul kept her eyes steady. Lenna betrayed confusion in the twitch of her lips and the fluttering of her eyes.

"He was great once." Yeul swallowed her fear. "But even gods can fall from grace."

"You forget your place." Lenna's expression turned cold and hard, fists clenched. Yeul flinched, ready for another strike, but Lenna stayed still. "Don't meddle in our affairs and we won't meddle in yours."

"A fine lie." Yeul held herself straighter despite her leg protesting. "But Bhunivelze isn't one to boast. You're here for something."

"Not one thing." Lenna warmed again, the change startling in its unnaturalness. "A few."

"For one?"

"For one." Lenna kicked her in the stomach and Yeul crashed to the ground. "God has lost his patience with the meddling of you and your people."

Yeul struggled to find her breath again. "You found me. If you found me across space, you'll hear me speak."

"I hear you here." Lenna stood above her, voice oddly kind. One more good person lost to Bhunivelze's warped influence. "You don't have to worry about that."

Yeul turned onto her arms and lifted herself up. "I don't mean you."

Lenna kicked her again and readied a white spell. "Odd. I should ask what you mean, then?"

Yeul groaned, side burning. Her leg seized up. "Not… you."

A great force slammed down beside her.

Lenna jumped away with a startled cry and Yeul's vision cleared to show Nine standing on the tip of his lance that stuck in the ground. "We're a little busy, yo."

"Not one of you," Lenna hissed. "You only bring chaos where you walk. Disorder follows you like a plague."

Nine ripped his spear out of the ground and straightened. Looked to Yeul. "We're out of time, yo. What took you so long?"

"Bhunivelze's taking pawns." Yeul forced herself up far enough to see them both. "We should save Lenna while-"

"Not a lot of point to that." Nine flipped his spear about in the air. "These guys don't give up easy."

Lenna started another white spell to match the other. Then threw them both.

Yeul cried out in surprise and leaped to the side. A loud crash sounded and she looked up again to find Nine deflecting spells before he jumped.

 _Dragoon_ -jumped.

Lenna followed his path before snapping her eyes to Yeul. "I'm sorry to kill you," the woman said. "You seem like such a sweet girl."

Yeul forced herself to her feet despite her aching body and felt the life drain from the grass below her. "Don't."

"I wish I wouldn't." Lenna prepared two more spells, these ones fire-based. "But it's not in my capability to disobey."

Yeul heaved a breath and rushed Lenna.

The woman easily stepped out of her way and released the spells.

Only for Nine to crash down between them and send dirt spraying.

Yeul fell again, as did Lenna. From here, Yeul made out the telling drip of blood from Lenna' forehead before the woman promptly jumped to her feet, back facing Yeul. Lines of a brand peeked out from behind her damaged dress before she-

 _Teleported_ away.

Yeul watched the magic fade to nothing, heart hammering in her chest.

"Great." Nine pressed a palm to his scalp. "This one got away, Queen."

How was Yeul to gather so much dust? She understood much from her legacy's memories, but this was… a lot bigger than she expected.

"No kidding!" Nine stalked away towards the gate, and Yeul worked up the strength to stand and follow. "I thought Seven was better than that!"

"Seven?" Yeul asked. Not for the first time, she missed having Eyes. "A friend of yours?"

"The monster we're chasin' found his target." He didn't slow down, and his eyes darted around like he was being followed. "That explains why that chick didn't have any of those marks on her."

"Marks?" Yeul struggled to keep up, but every step she took felt better. She didn't need to look to see the life she sucked from the planet itself that healed the cuts and bruises she endured.

"Bhunivelze doesn't treat his vessels well, yo. Doesn't know how or something. But he's gotten, like, a ton stronger and that made a whopping difference."

"What can we do?"

"Nothing." Nine scowled. "Not for them. We just gotta get to that gate."

Yeuls turned that way. "Then let's make haste."

* * *

Palom could barely think for the pounding in his head and the tremor in his limbs. His hand still hurt and he could swear his eyes were made of sackcloth.

"We'll keep a constant guard on the foci." He directed about ten mages to the next shift and leaned on his staff more than he cared to admit. "Best not lose the one thing this village has going for it."

Edge would need his own watch, if they didn't want to lose the foci to him and his peddlers.

Porom approached from the side and placed a foci in his hand before he could think of a reason to get away. "Here," she said with a smile. He looked down at it.

"I don't recognize this." It was gray. Dust swirled within the central jewel, dark specks clinging to the inside wall.

"I've been working hard on that." Porom held up one of her own. "I've made three of them, and it's my best work. I think you'll like it"

"Why's that?"

"Because." Porom tapped hers. "They're made from lunar rock."

"That's… unorthodox."

Porom smiled. "I thought it was pretty cool. Leonora got the last one."

"Have you tested them yet?" He clipped it to his belt. Didn't trust the way she acted like their argument last night didn't happen.

"Last night." She clipped her own to her necklace. "It was hard to judge how much it helped my white magic without something to heal, and with the moon nigh-full it won't be the easiest with black either."

Rosa appeared at one edge of the basin and looked around for a minute before laying sight on the two of them and making her way over. "I was hoping to speak with the two of you before we get this started."

Porom clasped her hands behind her. "What is it?"

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Rosa said.

Porom drew up short. "What?"

Palom snapped, "I thought we've been _over this_?"

"It just seems a little hasty." Rosa lifted a hand before Palom could argue. "I'll support you, but what if that machine is a token of good? Have we thought to look at containing it?"

"Contain-" Palom gaped. "You think we can just _stick it in a box_? What, do you think we'll just poke and prod it with sticks until something exciting happens? Did you sleep in _mushrooms_ last night?"

"It's just the barrier for now," Porom said. "The barrier isn't the artifact, so we're just letting ourselves get a closer look."

Rosa gave Palom a pointed look. "You didn't sleep last night."

"That's beside the point!" He gestured. "We decided the artifact _itself_ is what we're waiting on! The barrier is _nothing_!"

"We're not making any decisions-" Rosa placed a hand on his shoulder- "until you eat something and rest."

"No!" He jerked away. "You can't do this!"

Porom said, "We're not planning to start the barrage until tonight, anyway. Why don't we all go take a break and talk about it?"

Palom choked, protests dying on his throat. He knew these two would disregard what he said, but he still couldn't help that sting of betrayal. "We're not changing anything!"

"Not until we eat, no." Rosa gestured. "Come. Let's find a place under the canopy. Rydia and Edge have already sat down, so we've made good time."

Palom didn't like food – eating slowed him down. He had work to do _here_ , with the _mages_ , where he _mattered_ , and-

Warm magic flooded his system and he snapped around to find Leonora behind him. "Sorry," she said, "you're shaking, so I thought I might-"

"Stop!" He shoved her away. "Would you all just…" A sense of vertigo overcame him and he grit his teeth. "I'm _fine_."

"No, you're not." Leonora gave him that stupid smile of hers and nudged him with her staff. More magic that steadied him against the dizziness. "But I can fix that."

Porom and Rosa looked at each other, then at Leonora, then Rosa whispered something to Porom and the two moved off.

Palom groaned and turned to face Leonora who struggled to keep her hair out of her face. "What are you doing? You just sided with-"

Leonora touched a hand to his forehead, eyes wide. "You're burning up. Where were you during the storm last night?"

"In bed! Where do you _think_?"

"Did you take a hot bath?"

"No!" He shoved her hand away. "I don't have time for that!"

"If you don't take time for yourself now, then you'll certainly take time to be sick later." Leonora looked to the artifact. "And then you'll miss even more time to work."

Palom couldn't think of any retort for that. A sluggishness overtook him and he stifled a yawn. "… What did you do to me?"

"Just an esuna. Oh!" Leonora pulled a handful of papers from her bag and… in Mingwu's Mana, he liked the way her face looked from that angle. Looked like something from a portrait. "The latest reports. I was careful not to read them before you – I know how much you hate that."

"Oh." Palom blinked until his eyes stopped stinging. "Thanks."

"Of course." She flashed that smile again and something warmed in his chest. "Let's go eat, okay? It'll help the white magic go through your system."

"You used more than an esuna."

She raised her eyebrows and adopted a look of innocence without saying anything.

Palom rolled his eyes and turned toward the canopy. "Fine."

"I tried my new investment for the first time," Leonora said, following beside him. "It holds twice as much as the old jewel! I went for _minutes_ without preparing another spell!"

The same jewels that complimented her eyes like they were made for each other. "What about potency?"

"They're still not as nice as fresh spells, but it's better than last time. I'm sure in another few years, the difference won't be so noticeable."

Palom breathed in and let his stabilizer steady his beating heart. It gave a weak pulse, but that was enough to clear his head.

They joined the others, where dozens of Mysidian mages filtered in and out with their food for the day. Palom took a seat and pulled out his papers to read. Sitting under the shade _did_ feel nice.

"Palom, aren't you hungry?" Rosa's ever-patient voice filtered his way and he thought for a split second it was Porom. He shook his head and kept his eyes on the reports before him.

"He gets like this." Porom took a sip of Mysidian-purified water from her glass. "Thanks for your concern, Rosa."

"What about you, Porom?" Rosa asked. "You've had a nothing but those few slices of bread."

"Don't forget the berries."

"Remind me to thank the Elder for all this," Rydia said. "It's really good."

Edge closed his eyes and nodded.

"You could tell him yourself," Palom said. It was so hard to focus with all this noise.

It was a moment before Porom responded. "I'll make sure he knows."

Leonora went and retrieved an urn of purified water. She placed it on the table and took a seat between Palom and Porom.

"So, when are we going to get this moving?" Edge asked. "Are we going to hit the artifact or not?"

Palom narrowed his eyes at one of the diagrams. There was a massive burst of light from the shield the day they returned and the border showed clearer edges. "As soon as possible."

"Have we decided, then?" Rosa asked.

"I don't know that we have." Porom's voice. It had that edge to it that made his stomach turn. "Palom, would you mind setting the papers down so we could go over our options again?"

His grip tightened, adding a few more crinkles to the roughened notes. "I don't see how that's necessary."

Leonora reached a hand out for the papers. "May I?"

Grit his teeth. Gave up and handed them over.

"Fascinating." Leonora shifted the papers back and forth and he found himself glad she finally ditched those obnoxious sleeves from Troia. "I saw it myself, but I didn't get to study the different accounts."

Palom reached for stabilizer power but found it dried up again.

Rosa cleared her throat. "Anything noteworthy?"

"So much." Leonora kept scanning. "Some note the burst of energy to sound like distant bells, others say it left an odd sense of displacement."

Porom shifted. "I don't like that."

Palom relaxed. "Could the artifact transport multiple people at a time, then? Perhaps it was built to do so but-"

"That would leave me feeling better if we got rid of it," Porom said. "Someone might want to kidnap our people and enslave them."

"The odds of that are-"

Porom blurted, "Are we sure that we don't want to put this off another day or two and take some time to calculate the risks?"

"We've gone over this." Palom put a hand to his head at the returning headache. "We have no reason to wait because we have nothing to wait _for_."

"There was an anomaly just a few days ago." Porom's voice grew hard and stern. Like she was telling him off for skipping lessons again. "And you think there's no point to waiting?"

"You mean, wait for an army to break through?" Palom shoved away from the table and finally looked his sister in the eyes. "Fine. You go wring your hands and pace about your room and find some perfect solution. _You're_ the one that's scared of an invasion, but I guess I'm the only one willing to stop it!"

He spun on his heel and left despite Rosa and Leonora calling after him.

He could take it down himself, surely. It couldn't be _that_ strong.

His legs protested and every fiber of his being begged for rest. Within moments he missed the shade and rest of the canopy.

But kept moving.

Palom just about slammed into the barrier before he skidded to a halt and reached for the energy to cast Flare.

Murmurs sounded about him as the current shift gathered to watch.

Power built inside him and heat rose to his face, fingers, and ears. The air crackled with magic and various mages voiced their awe.

He unleashed the spell and it exploded against the barrier. The force of it sent him stumbling backward.

And made a light scratching sound before the barrier hummed and flashed where it was struck. And vanished again without a hint of damage.

More voices expressed disappointment.

His face burned, and he pretended that was thanks to the spell before he turned away again and left the whispering mages.

Eventually Palom found himself by the pond outside the Elder's Gate. It gurgled with the water rushing into it from above and for a moment, he stood and listened. Listened to the water dance and ripple, to the birds singing, and to the wind dancing in the trees.

What was the point of him being here?

He sat and, despite his needing to conserve his energy soon for the barrier, cast an ice spell that he contained to his palm. It refracted light that bounced off the water and brought a chill that grounded him. Took the edge off the pain.

"Hey, Palom."

He stiffened and almost shattered the ice.

Rydia sat down beside him. "Sorry about interrupting your spell."

He flicked his wrist and the ice vanished back into nothing. "What do you want?"

It took a moment for Rydia to respond, "I wonder if you'd do better at teaching Cuore to focus. She has a lot of power as a maenad but struggles with control."

"You're trying to distract me."

"What from?"

He gave her a suffering look. "Don't be stupid."

Rydia sighed and brought her knees up to her chest. "Leonora says you're struggling. Porom says you're angry. Rosa says you're lost. Edge says-"

"I don't care what Edge has to say."

Rydia quirked a smile. "But you care about the others?"

Palom scowled. "That's a good question."

"You know that Porom's just trying to help, right?"

"Yeah, and Edge considers you just a friend."

"That's personal." Rydia played with the grass. "But I know it's hard to see where she comes from, sometimes. People in this village confuse me – but then, I grew up among the fae and eidolons, so maybe I'm not the best judge of human character."

"… What are you saying?"

She looked at him, lips tight and brows low. "I'm saying that maybe this isn't the best environment for you. Whatever happened to your plans of becoming a sage and traveling the world?"

His headpiece burned and he left it alone. "Things changed."

"What things?"

"Excuse me."

Palom turned to see some garishly-dressed guy saunter their way. "You're Rydia, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Rydia stood and took a half step in front of Palom. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Sent by the Queen." The man offered his hand. "Name's Bartz, nice to meet you."

Rydia took it and regarded the man with a curious look. "Has something happened?"

"Yes, I have some questions about your hometown." He noticed Palom. "Oh, hey, friend! I'll love to see what you do, later!"

That cold again. Palom shivered and glared after Bartz. "Don't trust him, Rydia."

"Hm?" She looked between them. "What do you-?"

Bartz laughed and slapped a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what you have against traveling performers, but I'll have you know that's kind of mean."

"How about I talk to you later?" Rydia touched Bartz on the shoulder and something about that had the man stiffen. "I'll tell you everything I can."

Bartz grimaced. "That's not quite what I was going for, but-"

"I'm a little busy right now, thank you." Rydia pushed him away. "Go get yourself something nice."

Bartz finally took the hint and backed off. Palom waited for him to pass beyond earshot before he took a breath and said, "I ran into one of those earlier. They're not all right in the head."

"Kind of like you?"

He quirked a smile. "More like everyone _but_ me."

"Will you still join us tonight?"

Palom watched the light of the setting sun shatter against the water and remembered to breathe. And nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Yeul ran. Her leg hurt and her side tore and her lungs burned, but she ran anyway.

Until Nine grunted and picked her up. "You're pathetic, yo."

It hurt to talk. "A little."

They approached the crest, where the higher-tier mages gathered. Gathered to organize the destruction of the gate.

"When we leave," Yeul said, "the gate will disappear, right?"

"That's the idea!"

They just had to get past that ring of people. If Nine could just-

The towering silhouette of a man stepped in their way and Nine drew up short. "Out of the way, yo!"

The man said nothing. Yeul could barely see his eyes past the wild, red hair that spilled down to his shoulders.

"I said _move_!" Nine whipped his lance out.

"There are other ways," said the man in a deep-throated voice. "You don't have to fight the order and peace that comes for you."

"Order and peace," Nine bit out. "What a load of bullshit."

"I would respectfully decline," said Yeul. "I saw enough during my hundreds of years watching Nova Chrysalia to know that Bhunivelze does not and cannot understand what is best for mortality."

"Your funeral."

Yeul hardened her gaze. "Soon, perhaps, but not now."

"Not _now_ , Queen!" Nine took to the air and Yeul near froze with the sudden onslaught of wind that whipped at her skirts and hair and stung her cheeks. "I'm a little _busy_!"

Below them, the big man took ready and stepped out of Nine's way.

Nine re-angled himself and Yeul shrieked when they flipped into a barrel roll and _blasted_ downward.

The man moved to get out of the way, but Nine was faster.

They hit the ground with a deafening _boom_ and Yeul choked on dust before Nine dropped her and engaged the man.

She pulled energy from the plants around her and forgot the pain of her leg. Stood up and watched the two go back and forth for a moment before she gathered the energy into her hands. It sucked the strength from her and vibrated through her bones.

"Ah, _shit_!" Nine blasted the space before her with magic and broke her focus. The spell fizzled to nothing. "Not right now, kid!"

Yeul stood, stunned, hands still out.

Nine broke away from the man and snatched her up again. "I don't have time for this asshole – let's move!"

They ran past the first line of mages, who yelled after them – the man didn't pursue them further.

Yeul clung to Nine's jacket and closed her eyes when he leaped over the next line of mages. Spells crackled about them and shouts sounded for Palom, Porom, Leonora-

"Screw all of you!" Nine landed with a thud, ripped the artefact from his pocket, and light engulfed them.

* * *

Palom strode toward the barrier, staff spinning in the air beside him. Mages scrambled to keep up with him and relay everything that happened. The intruder came back, kidnapped Yeul, and promptly disappeared through the portal again.

He shook his head to himself. "No one stopped them?"

"They were too fast!" The mage almost tripped on their robes – the grass was still wet from the storm. "The man, he jumped through the air like no dragoon I've ever seen!"

"Against the biggest army of mages this planet has to offer." Palom nudged the mage away. "Very impressive, you lot."

Leonora caught up to him, pink-stained hair disturbed by the wind – her discoloration sped up with the installment of her upgrade. She also wore a new robe, better fit for movement given the opening at the front that exposed her legs up to the knees and the sleeves that ended just above the wrist. "Changed your mind?" she asked.

Palom wrenched his eyes off her and twirled his staff before moving to take his place at the head of the army. "Not in the least."

Porom sailed through the air above him before slowing to land nearby, staff brandished.

"It's about time you showed up," Palom said.

Porom shook her head at him.

"Is everyone ready?" Leonora asked.

Palom said, "They've _been_ ready for half an hour."

Porom rolled her eyes.

Rosa and Rydia came their way, leaving Edge alone on the top of the hill to watch. Palom raised his staff to the sky and the mages took the signal. "Let's burn it! Take ready!"

The other mages swept their staves out as one.

"Channel!"

Rosa and Rydia drew their hands together, summoning magic without implements.

"Steady!"

Flakes of ice touched his skin to contrast the swirling heat of conjured flames. The field lit up in clashing hues of blue and gold, while thunder crashed in his ears.

"GO, FIRST VOLLEY!"

Magic blasted the barrier. It shimmered in response and emitted glowing motes that floated toward the mages before dissipating.

Palom spun his staff, blood thumping in his ears. Mages rustled beneath him and murmurs filled his ears.

"Back in formation!" Porom yelled. "Yield to dawn and the crystals' release!"

"Ready!" Palom lifted his staff again. The barrier shifted in various hues, now visible as a ribbon of light. It shifted and crackled in places.

"Channel!"

Rosa took a deep breath beside him, focused on the barrier. She had yet to show any reaction to this.

"NEXT VOLLEY!"

There went the next round. Some spells fizzled upon cast. Most hit, slamming into the barrier, and throwing more light out in their direction.

The mages' formation fluctuated again. The younger ones collapsed to their knees.

Porom sucked in a breath and Palom raised his staff. "ANOTHER!"

One more round, weaker than the rest, and more mages fell. Only a handful stayed tall and ready when a deafening boom sounded, and an invisible force swept through the air and forced the remainder to the ground.

Palom dropped to a crouch and those around him stumbled in place.

The barrier shattered like glass. Shards fell away and evaporated – Palom felt no heat from where he stood, but sparks and lights danced about like the embers of a dying flame.

Silence fell. The mages reluctantly rose to their feet in staggered motion and some cast glances his way.

"What now?" Rosa breathed.

"Examine it further, now that we can." Porom looked to Palom. "Shall we?"

He held his breath. And walked forward.

They passed by awestruck mages that parted like silk curtains for them. Leonora scurried to the front and Palom let her go ahead.

They paused near the artifact and it encompassed them about in its misty light.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Porom asked.

"It's what we all want." He kept his eyes on that mesmerizing center. "Good of the world and all that."

"Oh, cut the crap." Porom grabbed him by the shoulder. "You just want to inflate your own ego! Be the first mage to reverse-engineer one of these things! Could you just be honest and admit that for once?"

He wrenched away. "I don't just want to reverse-engineer it. Don't pretend you know me."

"It's not pretending!" Porom forced her way before him, eyes alight. "You should sleep before we get closer – when was the last time you closed your eyes?"

"Wait!" Leonora shoved them both to the ground and light flooded the place.

Leonora vanished.

No!

Palom ran at the artifact.

Not Leonora!

He heard a scream. Footsteps behind him.

* * *

Rosa couldn't stop them. All three vanished with the light from that accursed portal.

Palom, Porom, and Leonora. All gone. The three best leaders of Mysidia, all disappeared in the blink of an eye.

All _gone._

"Away from that barrier!" Rosa shouted, clenching her fists. She wasn't supposed to be in charge, but she couldn't say who would be next in line. "We don't lose one more man!"

Shining light glittered from the portal and seeped towards the magi. Most jumped back when the energy got too close.

Rosa yelled, "Back! BACK, I SAID!"

They finally listened and moved.

A mage hurried up to them. "The Elder has requested your presence, milady!"

Rosa looked back to the gate. That energy spilled about like wine from a broken glass.

"Will you manage?" Rydia's voice shook.

"Of course, miss." He gestured back towards Mysidia. "He's waiting in a tent nearby."

Rosa blinked. "He cannot remain close. This gate's become a danger to all of us, most of all the Elder."

"All due respect, ma'am, but we know what we're doing." He took a step away. "Come with me, please."

Rosa took a deep breath. Stepping away from the gate felt like abandoning the twins to death, but she forced herself to move.

They walked quickly and shared no conversation, though Rydia whispered a prolonged chant too quietly to hear. Edge joined them along the way and offered no quips to lighten the mood.

"Ah." The Elder's voice was quiet and raspy when they greeted him in his tent. "Queen Rosa Harvey of Baron. Rydia of Mist. King Edward Geraldine of Eblan. Quite the party to entertain." He chuckled. Rosa found herself surprised to find him in such spirits. He never recovered from the attack by the maenads.

"Elder, what do you need us to do?" Rydia asked.

He quieted. "I hear our prodigies have gone, vanished with the only force that stabilizes them." He released a long breath.

"They have." Edge folded his arms and took a grounded stance. "Elder, we should take action. This portal cannot remain."

The Elder released a long breath and gazed off into nothing. "Might I ask about the idea that was carried to completion? To remove the apparent barrier that I've heard so much about? Who came up with such a thought?"

"Palom suggested it, sir." Rydia shivered in the warm air. Rosa took a few steps forward to kneel beside the Elder and summoned a little white magic to her fingers. She could certainly do no more than the combined might of the white mages of Mysidia, but she would try.

The Elder took no notice of the white even as it flowed through his veins. "I thought that might be the case," he whispered.

Edge rolled his eyes. "If you're going to keep a watch on it, anyone else could stumble in."

"So, there was a reason for such a barrier," the Elder mused. "But we cannot rid ourselves of the greater problem. I cannot sentence Palom, Porom, and Leonora to be without our world."

Rosa bowed her head. "Are you not concerned that letting it stay may result in greater losses? The three of them may be incapable of returning as it stands. They would not wish for this, Elder."

Rydia took a shaky breath. "We can look into other options. It may be near time I speak with the King and Queen of the Feymarch."

"We need everything we can get." The Elder's voice quieted by the second. He needed to rest. "If we cannot find an alternative, we will destroy it. We play a game of stalling, to see if they can make it back before we run out of time."

"Of course." Rosa stood and joined Edge and Rydia across from the Elder. "I will see what I can do."

The Elder gave no response, instead continued to stare off into nothingness.

"Farewell, Elder." Rosa gave him a respectful nod, then left the tent with Edge and Rydia.

"Firepower isn't going to make a difference," Edge said the moment they were out of the Elder's earshot. "If Mysidia's mages can't handle it, then there's no point to bringing in more."

Rosa took a moment before responding. "Agreed."

They kept a brisk pace towards Mysidia proper. "And we should alert the neighboring kingdoms."

Rydia gave her a short look. "Should we summon Cecil?"

Rosa hesitated. "I will inform him, but he cannot spare the time right now to join us."

Edge frowned. "Rydia, you said you'd call the Eidolons. Is that really necessary?"

"I hope not, but we'll find out, won't we?"

Rosa took a deep breath. "I believe they will accept your reasoning for summoning them now."

"I have to rest first." Rydia sighed. "That assault drained me."

Hopefully the King and the Queen would bring good news, as now they needed it.

* * *

Yeul and Nine hit the stasis of the Historia Crux, momentum lost to its endless corridor of fluctuating lights. The metal rings were twisted almost beyond recognition.

She'd seen it so many times and the orange she missed had lightened into a glittering yellow. Not good.

Wait, there was something there. Lines, differentiating pieces of the…

Checkered. It was checkered behind the lights.

She pursed her lips. The crux was hurting. Bhunivelze's power was strengthening. If the crux felt his power, what else might? "What's happened here?" she asked.

Nine shrugged and rolled into a lounge. "Beats me, yo. I'm just glad to be done with this crap mission."

"Yeul."

A warmth in her chest and a thrill down her spine at the voice. She twisted to find Caius fly her way.

"I thought you couldn't leave Valhalla," she said.

"Oi." Nine flipped back into a defensive position. "What are _you_ doing here, man?"

"Many things are not like you knew them." Caius didn't float quite like she did – there was something stronger to his posture. "The rules have changed. Valhalla is no longer what it used to be."

She was lain to sleep there so many times yet had never seen it with waking eyes. "I suppose it hasn't been what it used to be for a long time."

"I guess you two know each other." Nine groaned and sped himself up. "Catch you on the other side, yo."

Caius looked onward, towards the brightest lights in the distance where Nine disappeared to. "They have angered Bhunivelze. He will do what he can to attain all power in the universe and unleash it upon all of Etro's children."

Yeul angled herself upwards so she was on eye level with Caius. "No one told Lightning to absorb His power and deplete his will."

Caius hung his head with a quiet scoff. "Would that any of us knew he would enlist the powers of the void."

The checkered lines of the crux rattled in the distance. Yeul shook her head. "Etro did not return. Neither did Mwynn. And thus, we lost their power – yet Bhunivelze could reverse his demise?"

Caius gave her a soft look, one that he always reserved just for her. "Etro was bound by her own laws. She knew better than to fight the death she enforced on mortality. And Mwynn…"

Yeul's heart fluttered. "Speak, Caius. There's something I've missed?"

"Indeed. Mwynn didn't die – she shattered herself into pieces and scattered the remains across the cosmos to be housed and collected by twelve inheritors. She has not returned since explaining such to myself and your legacy."

"Twelve inheritors?" Yeul hesitated. "Nine. He carried a part of Mwynn."

"Yes. Hard as it may be to believe."

"Then I _am_ meant to take Etro's place."

He gave her that look. The one that he gave her when she had visions, when she saw the future. When her lifespan shortened. "… Yes."

Yeul reached out a hand. "You need me?"

Caius took it. The cold of his skin provided a refreshing reminder that she was alive. He pulled her closer and pressed her cheek to his chest. She wasn't alone anymore. "Yes."

They floated together and Yeul swallowed her fear. "Something's wrong. Nine got scared – Bhunivelze's taken his vessel."

Caius gave a low growl.

"He consolidates his power even as we speak." Yeul shuddered. "How many pawns has he taken? How far has his influence spread?"

"Too far." Caius guided them onward. "Heroes have broken and almost died under the influence and each jump destabilized Bhunivelze's sanity a little further. Against a mad god, we stood a chance, but now he waits and recovers. His plan will gain clarity and strength and we will need all the power we can muster to beat him again."

Yeul shivered despite the lack of cold here. "But you should be able to find him, in Valhalla."

Caius sighed. "As I said, much has changed. When Etro died, time and death split apart. They are separate domains now and Valhalla is naught but the gate of the dead. Even if Valhalla was all-seeing, we do not reside there. Rather, we lie within the unseen realm."

"The unseen realm holds access to the rift." Yeul looked up at him. "Surely we can attack the void directly?"

"Perhaps, but there is little to be discussed until nine and nine meet nine."

"The prophecy." Yeul chewed on her lip. "Then who is on our side?"

"The twelve of Mwynn. They have recovered four of the ten they search for. And there is the council of the dead, who work for their respective planets. They do not trust the twelve, but they are against Bhunivelze."

"The dead work on their own?"

Caius nodded. "Yeul…" He gave her a long look. "I meant for you to have a life of your own."

"I understand."

He looked down. "If it were not for a vengeful God with a vendetta against every remnant of Gran Pulse and Cocoon, then the rest of your legacy would suffice. Death would stand strong, with no weight against it. Now, however… it's different."

"I am not more than hundreds of other incarnations." It made no sense. She was allowed a freedom, she should not have to go back.

"You are not enough on your own, but with them, you will be."

Her blood ran cold. "I am not a goddess. Not one of us was destined for divinity and I cannot merge again with my predecessors. Not as I am."

"No." Caius stared off into the distance. "But there is a way for that to change."

"A way for all of us?" Desperation clawed inside her chest. "We can all work together?"

"Nine of you, yes. Noel will be glad to see you again."

A twisted path split out in the distance, heading towards a different place. The light of an exit showed brightly within it. "Where does that go?"

"Another world." Caius paused. "Another is there, I believe. One who has not yet returned."

Yeul nodded, waiting. A few moments passed in silence as the path approached. The sheening sound of an exit grew louder.

She threw herself off to the side and into the side path. Caius startled with the motion.

"Yeul, you must return!"

She was tired of waiting. She could no longer see the future, so now she had to find another purpose to her life.

Light flooded her vision and when it faded, she opened her eyes to find a dark sky littered with purple clouds. Dry grass poked at her feet and a dusty wind tickled her skin. Brown leaves brushed along the ground and in the distance, she heard the moaning of animals.

It smelled like rot and dust. Like death.

Yeul swallowed and wondered what she just arranged for herself.

* * *

The King and Queen of the Eidolons firmly believed that the gate could not last as it stood. Rosa, however, felt conflicted.

"I really wanted to fight that guy," Edge muttered and approached the artifact. "Can't believe I missed him."

"We have a bigger problem," a rumbling voice announced before the mages parted to let through Leviathan and Asura with Rydia trailing behind. "This gate is dangerous – please move away."

Leviathan approached the artifact with Asura behind him. Rydia kept her distance. Rosa followed her example and gestured for the rest of the mages to draw further back.

"So why don't you tell us what it is?" Edge asked, tone impatient.

Asura watched her partner as the light from the artifact drifted around his hand. "We have experience with its source. Friends of ours, Eidolons like us, taken by gods and warped to become their servants."

"Did they ever return?" Rydia glanced between the queen and king.

Asura looked away.

"They could have." Leviathan withdrew his hand from the light. It danced back at the motion. "But many things… changed."

"What does that mean?" Rydia asked, tone growing desperate. "How does this affect Palom and Porom?"

"Rydia…" Asura's face briefly reflected the ages behind those eyes. "They chose not to return. They were Cie, they knew not to."

"The hell? You do realize we have no idea what that means?" Edge rolled his eyes, then hesitated. "We don't, right?"

" _I_ don't." Rydia wrung her hands. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"By then…" Asura's voice grew wistful. "It was so long ago and irrelevant to you."

"But…"

Edge stretched his neck. "Hate it when history comes back to bite."

"So, these gods are the cause of this gate as well?" Rosa asked.

"Her name was Etro." Leviathan's tone dropped, solemn. "But we stray from the situation on hand. Suffice to say, this is no machine created by otherworldly hands, but a trace left behind by a dying goddess."

Writhing forms appeared in the portal's mouth and Rosa took an involuntary step back. But Leviathan and Asura kept them back with mere flicks of their wrists.

Rosa turned to the army of Mysidian mages behind them. "This gate cannot remain."

"No," said Asura.

"What about the twins?" one of the mages asked. He was adorned in black mage attire, and his voice rasped with age. "How will they come back without it?"

Rosa took a steadying breath. "Have faith in our friends. We've allowed them half a day's time, but we cannot wait forever. This gate poses a threat to our world, and as three heroes, I believe they would agree that destruction is the path forward."

"They're just kids," someone murmured.

Just as too many of these very mages were. But Palom, Porom, and Leonora were older now and could take care of themselves better than Rosa thought to give them credit for.

"Of course." One of the mages took a step forward. "I, for one, really don't want to sit through Palom showing off again. Let's be honest; if we don't trust them now, we'll never hear the end of it."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"Mages!" Rosa took a strong stance, one she saw Cecil take many a time when addressing his troops. "Now is the time for decision! The King of the Eidolons himself has decried this gate as a danger! Declared its dangerous contamination! The power of Mysidia's mage army combined may be enough to level it and force it from our world!"

The mages brandished their staves, turning attention towards the gate. Rosa gave them all a hard stare before turning to face the gate herself. Ahead of her, Edge, Rydia, and the Eidolons took the cue to take a step to the side, out of the line of fire.

"Together now! Aim…" Rosa trusted these magi not to hit her. "FIRE!"

The moon waned with the new day, but still rose early enough in the evening to prove beneficial to the magic elements that roared past her and slammed into the gate.

She swallowed her doubts, sure she could see a few new imperfections in the metal-like texture as the volley ended. She raised her hand. "Aim! FIRE!"

Another volley flew, arcing around her towards the gate. Magic blasted the thing and sent shockwaves her way. Pieces of metal cracked and fell from the frame.

Progress. Rosa grit her teeth. "WHEN READY!"

Spells zipped past her and connected with the portal in a continuous cacophony of explosions and regathering magic.

After what felt like ages, the structure ripped to shreds, with pieces flying outwards and disintegrating midair. The gate did not survive. Every piece, some earlier some later, fell to nothingness, along with the best chance for the trio to return home.

"Another tumor has been removed." Rosa turned around at the unfamiliar voice. A woman stood amongst the mages, with purple-streaked blonde hair. She stood with a warm smile, staring at the remnants of the gate. Beside her, a man who appeared far more relaxed, patted her on the shoulder. Rosa knew the man. He appeared only a few days earlier.

"Not great that it was ever there in the first place," the man said, a frown stretching across his boyish features. The woman sighed and relaxed.

"Who are you?" Rosa asked, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. Edge gave her a sideways glance, unease in his eyes.

The woman blinked once more before she focused on Rosa's face, expression growing confused. "Oh, I'm sorry." She sounded genuine. "I should introduce myself. My name is Lenna. This is Bartz." She gestured to her companion. "We've come here in the hopes of extending our help."

Edge briefly hung his head, then straightened to kingly posture. "Getting a little tired of the foreign 'help.'"

"Ah, yes." Rydia took a step toward the two. "I remember you."

"Nice to see you again, Rydia." Bartz took a step forward, and Edge stiffened beside Rosa. "These gates have been popping up on world after world. We're happy to know that others are working to get them under control. Got time for that chat, now?"

Leviathan cast Asura a dark look. "Worlds beyond this one?"

"Every world I've seen has had these abominations cropping up on them." Lenna's voice tightened. "It is of the light to cast them out. They cause ruin and chaos wherever they appear."

"It's gone now." Rydia folded her arms. "You can leave now."

"We don't mean to intrude." Lenna bit her lip and looked towards the sky. "There's just so much to be done and we wish to make the load lighter."

Bartz glanced behind them to see the mages. Shook his head and looked back to Lenna. "It's about time you got out of here."

She gave a short bow and left, heading out towards the dragon. Rosa wanted to order someone against them, to follow Lenna, but couldn't find the words.

"We should return. It's true how much we have to do." Leviathan gave Asura an odd look. "Call on us when next you need us."

Rydia stuttered a little and gave a small wave before the two vanished, returning to the Feymarch.

Bartz took a step closer. If Rydia trusted them, then perhaps Rosa should as well. "So, how about that town of yours?"

Rydia visibly hesitated. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just thought the idea of a village of summoners was interesting. Can I take a look?"

"I don't know about that." Rydia looked back towards the remains of the gate. "But maybe we can consider a trade? How is it that you and Lenna travel?"

"We make our own paths. Don't worry about it, they don't hurt the worlds like those ones do. They also don't remain in place very long."

"Could you show me?" Rydia asked.

Rosa paused. "What about Cuore? You can't go travelling right now."

Rydia shook her head. "I don't intend to go far. But if we have people from other worlds coming here, through those portals or otherwise, we should prepare ourselves with similar measures."

Rosa hummed. "Right."

"I absolutely can do that." Bartz nodded. "You wanna go now?"

"Actually, Bartz, if you could give us a moment." Rosa held a hand out towards Mysidia. "Perhaps Rydia could meet you back in town."

"Sure." Bartz took off for the village. Edge narrowed his eye after the man but didn't follow.

"What is it?" Rydia asked once Bartz left earshot.

"There is something I should tell you." She waited a moment to ensure she had their attention. "Baron is the base of operations for a joint project between us and the Dwarven Kingdom."

"I've heard about that." Edge folded his arms. "But I would love to know more."

"You mean your spies aren't good enough?"

Edge cleared his throat. "Maybe."

Rosa took a deep breath. "Cid and Luca examined the Whale when last we had it available. They didn't have a lot of time."

"But…" Rydia's eyes widened.

"But it seems it was enough."

Rydia and Edge stood stock still, eyes wide. Edge gave a low whistle.

"How far along?" Rydia whispered.

"Quite far." Rosa clasped her hands. "They believe it will fly within the year."

Edge gave Rydia a look and she shook her head. "That's…"

"I must return to Baron as swiftly as possible," Rosa said. "I will check the status of the copy and report after."

"Mind if I tag along?" Edge asked.

"As you wish. I'll gather my things and we'll make for Baron."

"We'll split at the village, then," Rydia said. "I should be getting back to Mist soon, so…"

Rosa smiled as acknowledgment and the three returned to Mysidia, parting at the entrance as Rydia left to locate Bartz.

Rosa herself felt a desperation to return to Baron, to personally apprise Cecil.

There was much to be done.


End file.
